Page 21 of Hidden Gem
JASON WOKE AGAIN, HISeyes puffy and swollen but his mind cleansed. He’d slept. He’d slept solidly until late morning. His alarm shone: 9:05 a.m. Holy shit! He turned over on the crisp sheets, revelling at the way his body felt. Ready for battle. Top of the world. Every other cliché in the book. Today was going to be a good day. And it was all thanks to...
Where was she?
Jason’s arm fell on the crumpled sheets. The bed was empty. Cold. As cold as the sweat prickling between his shoulder blades when he sat up, scanning the room. No dress. No shoes. No handbag. Jason leapt up and raced into the bathroom. Empty. She’d snuck out. He’d been a hideous, selfish lover, and she’d taken her exit.
Jason rushed to the window and cranked it open to peer down the street. A handful of pedestrians moved like ants along their path, an occasional car cruised past. No one resembled Beatrice. Jason held back a growl. A rustling sound caught his attention and he turned around. The breeze from the window had sent the papers on his nightstand flying. It didn’t matter. He’d pick them up later.
What could he do? If he rushed out now, would he find her still walking somewhere? He felt the sheets for any sign of warmth. No. She’d left a long time ago.
This couldn’t be happening. It was worse than a nightmare. He’d found a cure, and it had been snatched away. He’d let her slip through his fingers.
Why had he gone back to sleep? If only he’d held onto her, tried a little harder. He could have slept more the following night. If he had Beatrice, he’d sleep anytime, anywhere. Except that made no sense. She was just a woman. She wasn’t magic. Maybe last night had been a fluke, a one-off. Or maybe...
Adrenaline flooded Jason’s veins. If there was any chance this woman was the cure, he’d find her. He’d apologise on his knees. He’d show her he could be better.
He didn’t know much about her, but he knew enough. She’d been at the gala last night and her name was Beatrice. She couldn’t hide from him.
Jason took out his phone and brought up his assistant’s number. The perky lady who’d boasted about her research skills would get to prove herself.
Chapter 10
Marnie ran down thefootpath, wincing every time her swollen feet hit the pavement. She’d never done the walk of shame. They made fun of it in the movies, but she’d never realised how apt the name really was. She felt everyone’s eyes on her as she navigated down the city centre, towards her hotel.
Her cheeks burned, yet a silly grin broke through every now and then. She’d slept with a gorgeous politician. A tortured man, sure, but so sexy. So sweet. Did that make her a loose woman? She hadn’t done anything with anyone in more than five years. She was practically a virgin again, lost and confused about every detail, yet shocked by how her body had responded to his touch. She’d craved him so desperately she’d forgotten everything else. Maybe it had been a mistake, but she now had an experience nobody could take away. She could die knowing that she’d been desired for one glorious night.
Her heel hit an uneven tile on the pavement, and she yelped in pain. The hotel entrance loomed ahead, big block letters above sliding glass doors. To get to her room, she’d have to make it past the judgmental eyes of the concierge. Then she’d lay low for a while, order room service, pack up her things and leave.
Keeping her head low, Marnie snuck in. The desk was unmanned. Small mercies. She rushed to the lifts. Ascending to her floor, she felt a tingle at the bottom of her belly. Memories of last night flooded her body with endorphins. She’d finished herself off after he’d fallen back to sleep. After being so close, she’d had to give herself the release her body was screaming for. It’s what Beatrice would have done, for sure. Her heroine might have asked for a bit more from her lover, but she’d felt bad about keeping him awake. The poor man needed more sleep.
Flashing her key card in front of the electric lock, she let herself into the room. It would look odd if she left the bed completely unused, so she undressed, peeled off the covers and slid under the cool sheet.
Her plan had been solid. He didn’t know her name or anything about her. He had no way of contacting her. Except... she’d already failed the plan. She’d left a note.
Marnie smiled, her heart drumming against her breastbone. She took out her phone and propped it on the pillow. She hadn’t been able to resist the temptation and now she was playing a game she couldn’t win. He was young and gorgeous. Once he got over the sleep issues, he’d want someone young and gorgeous to match his style.
How old was he? Ever since she’d left his apartment, Marnie had been dying to google Jason. She’d noticed a list of search results on his laptop screen. He’d typed his own name into the search engine. She’d wondered why, but her fingers had also itched to click on those links, to find out more about him. Holding her breath, Marnie picked up her phone. It took her a couple of clicks to find out his age: 35. He was younger, but not as young as she’d feared. He was accomplished though, with a Master’s in both education and legal studies. And he was famous. Properly famous, with thousands of search results. Marnie’s heart pounded in her ears as she browsed the endless list of links to articles, gossip sites and conversations on Jason’s politics and love life. They lived in completely different worlds.
